Milestone: Race planner named Washington State Event Organizer of the Year

By Sequim Gazette Staff • November 10, 2021 1:30 am
Victoria Jones was recently named Washington State Event Organizer of the Year by the Washington Festivals & Events Association. Submitted photo
Victoria Jones was recently named Washington State Event Organizer of the Year by the Washington Festivals & Events Association. Submitted photo

Victoria Jones, know by locals and visitors to the Olympic Peninsula for helping organize popular road races for several years, is recipient of the Washington State Event Organizer of the Year.

Jones was honored for her efforts to put together races during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Washington Festivals & Events Association, is a corporation “dedicated to promoting the common business interests of the festivals and events industry in Washington state,” at the association’s annual awards dinner in Bellevue on Nov. 3.

Since the start of COVID, Jones helped organize 27 events — 22 virtual events and five hybrid events — and saw a 300 percent increase in participation with participants from all 50 states and five countries.

Some of these events included the Run the Peninsula Series, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon and Sun Fun Color Run. In addition, Jones added virtual runs, including hte OMC Cares Virtual Run & Wellness Walk that was free to all employees at Olympic Medical Center; the Red, Set Go Virtual Run; and, working with Jared Loranger of FIZZ Events, helped create the “Run the West Coast,” comprised of 16 different virtual runs including the Run Washington, Run Oregon and Run California events.

In addition to receiving event organizer of the year, Jones also received several Pacific North West Summit Awards for her events on the Olympic Peninsula, including the North Olympic Peninsula Chapter Event of the Year. Run the Peninsula Received awards for best event recap, best healthy lifestyle event and best promotional item. The North Olympic Discovery marathon received awards for best green program and best educational program.

Other North Olympic Peninsula recipients of Pacific Northwest Summit Awards include: Olympic Medical Center Foundation — Tickets & Invitations (Harvest of Hope), Sponsorship Proposal (Sonny Sixkiller Celebrity Golf Classic) and Healthy Lifestyle Event (Red, Set, Go February 2021 Virtual Challenge); Port Angeles Hall of Fame — Best Photo and Best Fundraising Event; and, Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival — North Olympic Peninsula Chapter Event of the Year and best Brochure of the year.

The association seeks to “assist members and the special event industry to improve and advance industry standards by providing professional and leadership development, and technical assistance state-wide for the festivals and events industry.”